The Pain Inside
by Heavybond56
Summary: Star returns to earth after an intense battle on Mewni. But things get bad as Marco discovers his best friend had lied to him, shattering his heart. Toffee taking advantage of the situation convinces him to help him with his plan, to find the Queen of Darkness herself. Can Star not only fight the two most evil beings in the multiverse, but also her best friend?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone, so here's the first chapter to my new story. This takes place deep into svtfoe, probably season 4. An idea that I could see happening. So I hope everyone enjoys! And don't worry, I'm still working on The Demon Within! Next chapter should be out soon!

 **Special thanks to JolleIQ for Beta-Reading, check him out, he's an excellent writer!**

Chapter 1: Friendship Thursday

Marco's Pov:

"YAY, FRIENDSHIP THURSDAY!" It's been about a month since I'd heard Star scream that. Star had just moved in back to earth and things were starting to feel normal, which was weird since when Star's around 'normal' is the last thought in my head. It's always gonna be weird around Star, but in a good way. I'm just glad that she's back home!

Here we are, having our first friendship Thursday since her return. I honestly didn't think we'd get back to our weird normal lifestyle again so quickly, especially after everything that's happened...

I'd went through so much just to talk to Star after she'd left out of nowhere. I spent weeks pondering about what to do. I'd never felt so low and lonely in my life, despite all of the support I was getting from my friends and my parents.

I'd spent numerous nights outside, just staring at the spot where Star's tower use to be, trying to come up with a solution to this whole mess. Then the talk with Jackie happened. It wasn't one that I wanted to have, but I guess it had to happen. Especially since it helped me discover some, err, 'interesting' feelings...

 _Flashback_

I was standing outside and looking at my broken home, part of the roof still missing. My mind was telling me to leave Star alone, that she's alright and handling business for her kingdom, but something else was telling me to go after her!

"Why is this so friggin hard!?" I exclaimed out of pure frustration as I pulled on my hair.

"What's so hard?" Answered a familiar voice.

I turned around and saw Jackie, my girlfriend and life-long crush, walking toward me. I gave her a faint smile. "Jackie, nice to see you here so... unexpectedly!" I said, trying to sound as optimistic as I could, but I could hear my own sarcasm in my voice.

She stopped right in front of me, then faced to where Star's tower had once been. "You know, I miss Star too. But you-" Jackie turned to face me again. Her soft smile and tone told me every I needed to know. "-you can't seem to live right without her anymore..."

 _Can't live without Star_ , I was going to deny that comment, but I couldn't. The truth is I've become so used to having the otherworldly princess around that I don't know what I'd do without her around. The feeling without her was similar to how my life -if one could call **that** living- was before meeting Star, and I hated it

In all reality, I couldn't live without Star, Jackie was right about that. "Marco," I looked up and faced Jackie, who was still bearing a soft, sad smile. "You've been like this for days, dude, and it sucks seeing you like this."

"Well what do you expect?" I asked, unable to mask my irritation. "My best friend just disappeared without explaining a thing!" I felt anger start to rush on the thought. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't angry at Jackie, I just hated the situation I'd found myself in. I then added in a sadder, softer tone, "I didn't even get to say goodybe..."

"Marco, I'm gonna ask you something and I want you to be honest with me," Jackie told me, a firm edge to her voice. "Do you like Star?"

"Of course, I _like_ Star! She's my best friend, for crying out loud! What kind of question is that! I-"

"What I meaning to ask is if _you_ have a crush on _her_ too, Marco, not just a friend thing!"

 _Did she just… read my mind?_

I fell silent. I was gonna say I didn't, but ever since Star had confessed her feelings to me I didn't know what I truly felt for her. Star was my best friend and nothing more. At least, that's how it was supposed to be. Right now, though, I didn't know _what_ to think! Besides, I'm dating Jackie!

But the more I told myself that Star was nothing more than a good friend, my best friend, the more I felt like I was lying. I looked at Jackie as she kept prying at me with pitiful eyes. She deserved an honest answer. "I don't know..." I sighed.

I could feel her grab my hands. I looked at her. To my surprise, she wasn't angry but instead looked like she'd been expecting such an answer. "Then go after her, dude!" She exclaimed, then sighed and spoke with an honest voice, "I'm not gonna pretend that I'm totally fine with this whole situation, because I'm not, but Star's my friend and I don't wanna leave this out in the open, so go! Bring that magical princess back, for _all_ of us!"

I didn't know what to say. My girlfriend -if she still _was_ my girlfriend- had just told me to go after Star, whom I may or may not have feelings for. But… maybe that's what I need right now. Find Star. Find answers.

But was it really alright to just... leave? None of this was Jackie's fault and I'd feel bad if I just ditched her and leave her in the unknown. What if-

"Don't worry about me dude, I'll be fine. Go get Star back." Jackie let go of my hands and started to walk away. "Jackie!" I called her.

"Jackie!" I called her. She turned around and I did my best to smile. "Thank you..."

She smirked and winked at me. "I'll see you soon, and I'm expecting you to return with Star!"

I gave her a thumbs up. "You can count on it!"

Jackie smiled. "Just remember that... whatever happens happens and... I won't hold any grudged against neither you nor Star." With that, she departed, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

(End Flashback)

That same night I went to find Star and we, *ahem*, 'discussed' somethings that I really don't wanna think about right now. I just want to lay back and enjoy my friendship Thursday with Star, one that was long overdue.

"Wow, a lot of new movies came out while I was gone, we're gonna have to watch all of them!" Star said excitedly. It was something nice to see for a change, after spending nearly a month protecting Mewni and almost losing to Toffee.

Star and I still needed to have a talk about that. We never got to have a full conversation about the fight and I feel like it was something we need to discuss, but not tonight. I wasn't going to bring something up and ruin our da- night! Ruin our night! Yeah, that's it.

"Choose a movie and put it on. I'll go grab the nachos." I had a patch getting ready and they were about done. I headed to the kitchen and got the nachos set up.

 _Do you like Star_? that question was still haunting me. Even though I knew the answer to it.

...probably

But that didn't matter, Star had a war going on right now. And besides, she didn't have the same feelings anymore. It was painful but it was my fault, I didn't even know how I felt at the time. But I guess I needed to keep myself shut.

There are more urgent things to attend to then to get lost in my own thoughts, like finishing these nachos and enjoying some quality time with Star. Which I quickly did, and when I made my way to the living room Star was already waiting for me with the movie starting.

"NACHOS!" Star practically screamed once she saw the plate I had. It has been awhile since I'd made the snack; Mewni wasn't really too bountiful on nacho cheese...

I placed the plate between us on the couch and we both dug in and started to eat.

"So, what movie did you choose?" I asked in-between bites.

Star just waved her hand dismissively as she stuffed herself with more nachos. "Oh, just some new movie that Janna recommended. Nothing special."

Upon hearing those words, I nearly gagged on a nacho chip. "WHAT!? JANNA!?"

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Janna. _Have fun_ _tonight_ _, enjoy the movie! *wink*._ I forgot… Janna knows! Hang on a second, did she... "NOPE! NO NO NO! We are not watching this!" I shot up and quickly took the DVD out.

"Aww, why not?" Star whined, and I did my best to ignore her tone.

I pulled out the movie and thankfully I did. Janna was about to have me and Star watch one of the most hardcore romance movies that had just come out. I put the movie back in its case. W _hen did we even get this movie?_ I asked myself.

I looked at the other movies I had gotten for the night, there was a new comedy that I knew Star would love. "How about this one, a good laughter to start out friendship Thursday!"

Star let out a smile. "I guess a funny movie should be fun!" I put the movie on and sat back down.

I nodded and put the movie on and sat back down next to Star. I was just relieved that I'd checked the movie cause that would have been extremely awkward for me and her.

 _Star's Pov:_

Finally, I was getting to relax with Marco. It's been a hard month and honestly, friendship Thursday would help take away the pressure and stress I was having. Especially after the fight with toffee.

 _"No Star, don't think about that! It's friendship_ _Thursday_ _, just relax and enjoy the moment!"_ I had to remind myself. I asked Janna to choose a movie for since I'd missed a lot of new movies that had come out while I was on Mewni.

I looked around the room and let out a happy sigh. I'd sure missed this place and it was good to be back on Earth, ready to enjoy a casual friendship Thursday with Marco.

I spotted him coming down the stairs and couldn't hold the excitement that just seemed to pop all of a sudden. "YAY, FRIENDSHIP THURSDAY!"

As Marco dug through the selection of movies he'd acquired for tonight, I couldn't help but smile. "Wow! A lot of new movies came out while I was gone, were gonna have to watch all of them!" I told Marco. I made sure I got enough rest so I wouldn't fall asleep. But once our friendship blanket gets out the dryer, the warm blanket's probably gonna put me to sleep.

I can **never** fight the urge to sleep in that thing. It's like it has some kind of spell on it!

"Choose a movie and put it on. I'll go grab the nachos." Marco gave me a smile as he walked to the kitchen. Upon hearing the magical word, I squealed out of pure excitement!

It's been forever since I've had nachos and I am dying for some! I grabbed the movie Janna had suggested and put it the movie device. I was pretty surprised I still knew how to work it. I sat back down and looked toward the kitchen door, waiting for Marco to return with some of his amazing nachos!

Right on queue, Marco then came out with the nachos and took a seat next to me. He must've noticed me as I licked my lips while staring at those yummy cheesy little devils because he chuckled and told me to help myself.

Once Marco had put the plate down I didn't hesitate for a moment and started to gobble them down like a starving Mewman who'd been handed a cob of freshly-roasted corn! The flavour was so amazing, especially the tingling sensation I had with the taste of Marco's special cheese!

"So, what movie did you choose?" I heard Marco ask.

"Oh, just some new movie that Janna recommended. Nothing special."

Marco nearly choked on a nacho chip for some reason. "WHAT!? JANNA!?" he yelled. I raised an eyebrow at him; What's wrong with Janna choosing the movie?

Marco then got a text and his expression turned to one of a person who'd just seen an entire field of corn burn down. "NOPE! NO NO NO! We are not watching this!" He yelled and ran to the movie device and ejected the movie-disc-thingy.

"Aww, why not?" I was a little bummed out that we weren't going to watch it after Janna had suggested it.

I sneakily looked at his phone while he was taking out the movie and it was a text from Janna! My eyes widened upon reading her text. _Have fun_ _tonight_ _, enjoy the movie! *wink*_ I was confused until I looked at the movie cover and noticed numerous hearts surrounding a happy young couple, a princess and a prince, by the looks of it.

I tried my best to act cool as I watched Marco look for another movie the two of us could watch. _Really Janna! Really? Did you have to do that? It's already hard enough without you provoking it even further!_ I was gonna have a **long** chat with her...

"How about this one?" Marco asked as he showed me the movie cover. "A good dose of laughter to start off our friendship Thursday!"

I smiled and nodded. "I guess a funny movie should be fun." _I think I just dodged a bullet..._

Marco sat down next to me as the movie began rolling. I know it sounds cheesy, but I couldn't be happier than I am now, just watching a movie with my bestie and enjoying the moment that hopefully would last throughout the night.

* * *

"DON'T STOP RUNNING!" I screamed, grabbing Marco's hand and running at a hellish pace. We were running down the halls of my castle, trying to find a way out, but every time I seemed to have found one of the many secret passages that led out of the castle, it was blocked off!

The last chance we had was to escape from my balcony. Cloudy would be able to get us out of here! We needed to get out of here before _he_ catches us.

I could hear the sound of the Castle's destruction as Marco and I cut corners and ran upstairs. The inner me wanted to stay and fight, but it would be dumb of me, I wasn't ready to fight him, especially in the powerful state he was presently in.

I was panicking. The only thing that was holding me together was the warmth of Marco's hand as we kept sprinting. I was extremely scared, and so was he, but we had to keep running. My room is nearby. Just a few more steps and we'll be safe.

We reached my room and I kicked the large twin-doors open and ran with Marco to the balcony. I waved my wand through the air and a swirl of pink glittery trace followed and then I summonCloudy. "Hiya Star, what can I do for yah?" she asked cheerfully, oblivious to the dire situation.

"Cloudy, you got to get us out of here! Marco let's go!" I called him.

"No problem Star, just hop on and AHH" there was a stream of green magic that caused me and Marco to fall back, I looked up to where Cloudy had been mere moments ago, but she was gone!

 _No... There's no way he could've followed us that fast!_ I faced the entrance to my door and there he was, standing with his hand outstretched and a glowing green crystal embedded in his palm. "Wha... WHAT DID YOU DO TO CLOUDY!" I was furious.

He just laughed and rubbed his fingers against his stupid suit. "You two were trying to escape, I couldn't let that happen, now, could I?" Hi voice was so calm, so resigned, so smug.

"You… hurt CLOUDY!" All my spells were personal to me, I was full of rage!

I fired a blast towards him but he deflected it like it was nothing. "Ah Star, when will you learn? You only managed to escape me last time because that fool monster fought me for his body! This time you, however, you have nowhere to go and nobody to aid you."

Marco charged at him screaming his karate battle scream. "MARCO NO!" I yelled in a fit of panic. I was too late.

Toffee shot a ray of green energy at Marco that sent him flying across the room. "NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I shrieked. Luckily, Marco was still whole but was in pain and struggling to get up.

Toffee laughed maniacally. There was nothing we could do, my wand wasn't strong enough to defeat him. I was defiantly crying now. I was scared... my best friend was hurt... _What can I do!?_

"Such a shame, Star, I actually expected a fight from you this time. But it seems I was wrong. Don't worry, I'll make this fast-" he extended his palm toward me, the crystal glowed green, but he hesitated.

He then moved toward Marco with a psychopathic grin. "-For him!"

"NO! TOFFEE, DON'T!" I begged him! The lizard said nothing, the room was silent.

Toffee stood there with a large grin, then… he unleashed a blast towards Marco. "NO!" I shrieked. The blast almost hit Marco when I just jerked up screaming!

I panted heavily for several minuted before finally calming down when I saw I was in my room, lying on my bed. When did I even get to bed? Did I doze off during the movie?Wow, guess the friendship blanket was cosier than I'd thought! So... that was all a dream?

It felt so... real. Recently I've been having dreams about the last fight against Toffee when he was still in Ludo's body, but this was something entirely different. The door on the other end of the room slammed open and I saw Marco standing in his Jamjams, fire in his eyes and karate-stance initiated. "What happened!? Are you okay, Star? Did somebody hurt you!? Were you-"

As he kept asking a million questions, I couldn't help but smile. I was just happy to see that Marco was okay and still as loving and caring he could be for me. Which makes me wonder...

 _How much longer will I be able to keep my act together...?_

 _Earlier that evening_

Marco's POV:

The comedy is actually extremely funny! I've never seen Star laugh so much! I mean, she almost choked on the nachos during a few scenes! Luckily we finished them quickly so we weren't eating them the whole movie, or we'd both be six feet under by now!

Halfway throughout the movie I went to go grab our friendship blanket from the dryer. It's been awhile since Star and I used it that it needed a wash real quick. Once we got under it and got comfortable, I let the warmth consume my body.

I wasn't the only one enjoying it, I could see Star was clearly fighting to stay up. I couldn't blame her, it was comfy and cosy. By the time the movie had ended, she was out cold. She was even snoring a little, which for some reason I thought was cute. The movie was over by around 10 o'clock which was still pretty early since it was still summer.

I carefully got up from the couch and looked at the stack of movies that were scattered on the table. There were many options, but I kept eyeing the one movie Star put on first. I looked at Star, she was in a deep sleep, no way she was going to wake up. _As long as she doesn't wake up, it'll be fine,_ I reassured myself.

I put the movie on and slowly sat back down on the sofa. As the movie went on, I could feel my own body heat increase. Romance movies never affected me; Star and I have watched so many of them that I was no longer phased by them.

But tonight was different.

It wasn't long until I started having wild romantic fantasies about the two of us; Going on cheesy dates, doing couple activities… kissing...

Is it wrong of me? I mean, Jackie _is_ still my girlfriend, officially, so am I doing something wrong by fantasising about Star?

To be completely honest, I'm still not sure. All I know is that ever since her confession and our reunion on Mewni, such thoughts kept popping up in my head. I feel guilty, but I also don't. It's... um... compicated...

The ending was coming up, where the two main characters about share a kiss after the endeavour they'd been through and were finally ready to admit their feelings toward one another.

 _Smooth, Janna, real smooth..._

I looked at Star's sleeping face and my body lost control. I slowly started to move towards her.

He pink lips looked softer than the blanket that was covering us, the TV light reflected off her beautiful blonde hair, just how beautiful she looked in conclusion. I was mere inches away from her face, I could feel her breath touching my face.

My heart was pounding extremely fast, I was probably as red as my hoodies were. I closed my eyes. _Carefully kiss her… careful… caref…_

I nearly screamed as Star threw herself at my and wrapped her arms around me.

I didn't move or so much as breath for a few seconds, making sure Star didn't wake up. Luckily she didn't. She was still fast asleep but now cuddling with me. I don't know what was more tormenting, the thoughts of kissing Star or her laying and cuddling with me.

The movie was now on the credits, and I knew I couldn't let Star wake up like this. But I didn't wanna wake Star up either.

I was just gonna have to be slow and steady. I managed to lift Star up and make my way up the stairs and headed to Star's room, where I tucked her into her bed. She had an adorable smile across her face, and murmured something under her breath. She looked so calm, so peaceful, so happy. Was it because of me? Was it because we were finally back together?

I don't know how she managed to keep it a secret for how long she did, but it was hard. "Goodnight, Star," I whispered and headed to my room.

After all that's happened I could use some sleep right about now. I just hoped I wasn't gonna be thinking about Star all night. But seeing how the movie was still fresh in my memory, I wouldn't be having such luck tonight...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello Everyone, I know it has been some time since my last update on any story. Honestly there is no special reason due to my absence. I've been dealing with injuries the past few months and have fell into some bad moments. But I am currently working to finish this story and next story Ill update will be the Demon Within. I know this chapter is rather short but I wanted to update something for you all to read. I hope you all enjoy!

To inform everyone what's happening in this story, this is my version on how I think the battle of Mewni should have ended. Toffee is still alive, fully regenerated with the half of the wand still merged into his palm. He is now looking for a greater help to finish his plan. Who in history is known to be evil than no other? The queen of darkness herself, Eclipsa.

Special thanks to JolleIQ for Beta-Reading, check him out, he's an excellent writer!

Chapter 2: The Secret Revealed

All was a tranquil midsummer evening in Echo Creek; an unusual phenomenon that normally when a certain magical princess was asleep and not causing trouble or destruction. However, such was not the case this time; while it was calm and quiet, Star Butterfly, instead of snoozing the night away and gathering energy to fuel her playful mischief, was wide-awake and enjoying a relaxing friendship Thursday with her bestie, Marco Diaz, blissfully unaware of a pair of eyes gazing at them from outside the window.

As Marco was leaning in towards Star's face, the observer was shaking with excitement.

"Almost there… c'mon!"

Star suddenly lunged and cuddled against Marco, much to the disappointment of the figure, who sighed irritably.

"Okay, that failed. I need to step it up a notch," the figure said, determined to make her plan work, and pulled out a cell phone from their green-blue jacket.

"Sorry, Marco; you leave me with no other choice but to initiate plan 'jealousy'. It's for your own good," Janna said as she dialed a number on her phone.

" _Hello?_ " the voice of a boy asked.

"Hi, Oskar. It's me, Janna. Listen, I got some great news for you..."

 _ **Marco's Pov:**_

I couldn't sleep. My thoughts were littered with the events of last night. Every time I dozed off, Star would pop up in my dreams. This was worse than torture.

"Why did I watch that damn movie!?"

Stupid feelings!

I had an easy time keeping them under restraint when Jackie was involved, but when it comes to Star, it's like the chains holding them back turn into jelly; every action, every word, every damn thing she does is just so adorable that I feel like I'm gonna go crazy if I have to keep this act up for much longer. And Janna constantly pushing things forward and getting me into awkward situations isn't helping! Does she seriously expect me to _confess_ to my _best friend_!? I'll probably scare her off if I push too hard...

Damn that girl! How did she even find out!?

 _Flashback_

"Isn't the view beautiful, Marco?" I was on the highest rooftop of the castle of Mewni when Star suddenly popped this question out of nowhere. We were watching the sunset together; however, Mewni's sunset was on another level than the measly sunset on earth.

I'd be lying if I said that I was focused on the sunset at the time. My eyes were focused on something, or rather _someone_ that made even that sunset look as bland as dry paint on a wall.

The way she stood there, bathing in the soft, golden rays of the sun; it felt like I was lost in a fairytale, gazing at the most beautiful being any writer had ever given shape to. Just like with fairytales, all I could do was wish they were real. The brutal reality was that I had no chance with her, not anymore.

And that did hurt, a lot actually; knowing that she had moved on before I had the chance to tell her how I felt, but there was nothing I could about it. And to make sure I didn't ruin our friendship, I kept quiet about it, and it was eating me alive! How long could I keep my feelings bottled up like this? Not much longer, that's for sure. I knew that it was only a matter of time until the bottle popped open, so I vowed to tell her how I felt while watching the sunset. Easy, right?

Hell no!

How am I supposed to do this!? And even if I do, it would probably just make things awkward between us! It's probably better to just keep quiet and accept reality for what it is.

 _"NO!"_ I told myself. _"Star's your best friend, she will understand you no matter what, just tell her!"_

"Marco are you okay?" I turned to see Star giving me a concerned look. She probably noticed me spacing out. This wasn't good! I needed to say something, anything, fast!

"Star, I have a confession to make! You're my best friend and deserve to know the truth. I like you, a lot! Would you be my girlfriend?"

... is what I would have said if I weren't a complete idiot... Instead, I choose the safest response.

"Oh yeah, I'm good Star. Just, ya know, thinking about what's been going on lately, no biggie."

... is what should have come out. Instead what came out was...

"YAH GOOD THINKING BOUT' STUFF!"

 _What the f*** is wrong with me!? Can someone just kill me already!?_

Star had a look on her face that had worry, concern and plain confusion written on it.

"Marco, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

There was an awkward silence between us. She was waiting for a response, and if I didn't give her one, she would probably think I didn't trust her. I couldn't allow our friendship to be damaged by something so stupid.

I could feel my heart pounding and my face burning. I took a deep breath. It was now or never...

"Star..." I looked her right into her beautiful eyes. This was it, no turning back.

"I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, eyes closed.

I slowly opened them, hoping to see some kind of reaction on her face. There was none; her expression didn't change. She just stared at me blankly and didn't say a word. It was so quiet that I was able to hear the townspeople all the way up here in the castle. I had no clue what to say, more importantly, what could I say?

I remembered how I had reacted when Star told me she had a crush on me during my party. I was frozen stiff like an icicle.

I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run. I had to stay here and face this! But the silence was killing me! I had to say something.

"Star?"

She faced forward and started to look at the barely visible sun again, but was still dead quiet. I had no idea what to do from here. My only solution was to just get up and leave.

"I already knew that," She said out of nowhere. It took me a second to process her words. I had multiple feelings and so many questions were racing through my head that I didn't know what to feel.

I just stood there looking at her like an idiot.

"How?"

"Because-" She faced me and Janna's face appeared on Star's body, scaring the crap out of me. "I know everything about you, Marco!"

" **Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-** "

I shot upright in my bed, screaming like a maniac. I looked around myself, panting heavily, and was relieved to find myself sitting upright in my bed, panting heavily.

 _Was that all a dream? Did I confess my feelings to Star? And why was Janna there?_

I looked at my digital alarm clock; 3 AM. I let out a sigh of relief and laid back down, chuckling to myself.

"It was just a dream!" I said, closing my eyes, ready to go back to sleep. "I didn't make a fool of myself in front of Star. And the best part is, Janna has no idea about my crush on her."

"Star, huh? Didn't see that one coming..."

I nearly fell out of my bed upon hearing that. I recognized the voice immediately.

"Janna!? what are you doing here?!"

"Spying on you." She had a smirk on her face, not her typical Janna smirk, but the one when she was about to blackmail or impress someone, and that made my stomach churn. She was sitting on a chair next to my bed. The little...

"Get out Janna, now!" I yelled at her as I got out of bed.

"Nice PJs," she commented. I blushed out of embarrassment and anger.

"I said, get out!" I yelled once more, pointing a finger at the door.

"Well that's not a nice way to treat a guest. I thought you had better manners, Diaz."

"You are not a guest, you're an intruder!"

"C'mon! I break into your room every other night! I'm practically at home!" she stated with a smirk while dangling the keys to my door in her right hand.

I sighed irritably. There really was no point in arguing with her, was there?

"What do you want this time Janna? Isn't it a little late to be stalking someone?"

She let out a little chuckle. I was getting a bid vibe, worse than what I usually feel when dealing with Janna. "First off, it's never too late for me, Marco. Second: I've just gotten everything I came here for..."

I knew what that evil smirk on her face meant, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Janna, whatever you took, give it back!" I demanded, crossing my arms and speaking firmly.

"Oh, I didn't steal anything. I just came for answers and you gave them to me!"

"Answers?" She nodded. "Answers to what?"

She didn't say anything but just smiled at me, still dangling the keys to my room in her hand. I had no idea what she was talking about.

Then it hit me. I froze up entirely and stared at her with wide eyes. Her smile broadened.

"Figured it out, haven't ya?" she asked cockily.

 _Please don't tell me that she..._

"That was indeed a very interesting dream you had, Diaz. It gave me _a lot_ of useful information..."

I swallowed nervously and I could feel cold sweat running down my forehead as she stood up and began circling around me, like some predator waiting to pounce upon its prey.

"W-what information?"

She stopped right in front of me, her face so dangerously close to mine that I could feel her every breath.

"Oh, nothing much," she said, but her look told me that it was indeed very much. As if this wasn't horrible enough, she leant her head right next to my ear. The words that she whispered felt like a death sentence.

"Just your little crush on a certain mewman princess named Star Butterfly."

 _My life is over..._

I just wanted to vanish into thin air at this point. However, her next words sparked something in me that I'd never experienced before.

"I can't wait to spread the word around! I wonder how many people I have to tell the rumor to before it reaches Star! More importantly, I wonder how she'll react when she finds out that her best friend has had his eyes on her and-"

" **What is your &%?% problem!?**" I snapped at her. This took her by surprise and she nearly stumbled when taking a few steps backwards to create a safe distance between me and her. This was the first time I'd yelled at her, but I was just fed up with her constant stalking and making my life living hell!

I just stared at her, clenching my fists out of pure rage. She looked shocked. But I wasn't done yet!

"I don't know what your problem is, but I am fed up with you always stealing my stuff and eavesdropping on me! Seriously, can you just leave me alone already and stalk someone else for a change!?"

She just stared at me for a few seconds, then just burst into an uncontrollable laughter. I officially had no idea what was going on anymore.

"Wow Marco, I never thought I see the day I finally make you crack! You're terrifying, dude!" I was trying to progress what was happening. She just walked up to me and put on hand on my shoulder. Was she friggin proud of me!?

"Don't worry," she continued. "I actually won't say anything. This will be just between the two of us."

Right as I was about to relax when I saw her exiting my room, she turned her head around and looked at me with a dangerously serious face. "Oh, and Marco, don't ever yell at me again."

 _End of Flashback._

Oh, right... **that's** how!

I still haven't talked to Janna after that and I probably won't for a little while longer. But for now, I can only hope she really hasn't told anybody and that I'll be able to get any sleep after that movie. But by the looks of it, I probably won't.

I was somehow able to get a few hours of sleep before I was awakened by a loud scream resulted in my falling out of my bed.

Was that Star's scream?

 _Wait… STAR!?_

I shot up and quickly ran towards her room. If she was in danger I had to protect her!

I barged into her room. I'm usually the cautious one that likes to plan strategies out, but with Star involved my thoughts always got jambled up and the safety switch jammed.

I started asking tons of questions until I saw Star sitting up on her bed. She wasn't in danger, which was a relief.

"Star, are you okay? I heard you scream."

I was relieved that she was safe but still concerned. She had a little smile on her face but that quickly changed into an expression of fear. "I... I dreamt... of him again..." she said softly.

She didn't have to explain a thing, I knew who she was talking about.

Toffee.

I got a bad feeling in my gut.

 _She_ was way more traumatized than I was.

I walked towards her bed and pulled her into my arms, doing whatever I could to comfort her. I could hear her sobbing softly into my chest. After the fight Star did change a bit; she was still easily distracted, yet her guard was so high that nothing got past her.

Since we got back to Earth she was still the same cheerful Star, but a part of her was missing, it seemed. It's hard to explain but I could tell this was really bothering her.

"It's okay Star, he isn't here and he isn't going to come here. He's dead." I said, trying to calm her down as best as I could. Star killed him during our last battle. I was unconscious due to me getting hit by Toffee's blast, but when I woke up Ludo was back to normal and I saw the town's people celebrating.

I figured Star had destroyed Toffee, I had faith in her during the battle and I was happy and proud that she was okay and won the fight.

I started brushing her hair softly with my hand, and her sobbing soon ceased. I thought she was just gonna thank me and go back to sleep, but what came out of her mouth caused every muscle in my body to tense up.

"Marco… he's not dead… I dreamt he attacked us… and he got you",


End file.
